A Tale Of Time
by Jamnation7
Summary: Before Harry, there was another Potter. One who lived through heartbreak, and death. One who found solace in friendship, and love. He lived through a time of darkness and deceit. But he found his ray of sunlight, and wrote his own story, one which would be remembered for eternity, or as some might say, a tale of time.
1. Prologue

"Dorea! Dorea!", shouted a grey haired man as he rushed past people in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, pushing them aside, frantically looking into each room for any signs of his wife. He looked old enough for people to wonder how he was able to move as swiftly as he did, yet not so old that people expected him to be in a wheel chair. While he had messy grey hair that stood up in all directions, untameable it would seem, though he dressed pristinely in a set of black robes, with thin spectacles on his nose which mimicked his age.

"Sir, you need to calm down and not cause such a ruckus, or I will have security throw you out. For Merlin's sake, we're in a hospital", said a Healer, exasperated, his lime green robes which swooshed along the floor as he tried to keep up with the man, making a rather distinctive and irritating noise. "Just because you pulled some strings to get your wife a private room for her birthing – something we usually do not do here, mind you – does not give you the right to barge in here and wake my patients up."

The man swiftly turned around to face the Healer, faster than any would have thought possible given his age. His wrinkled skin only magnified the anger and worry in his eyes, as he uttered in a quiet voice, "My pregnant wife was brought her after she was injured in a Auror mission. I would appreciate it if instead of chastising me, you would tell me where my wife is so I can be at her side. However, if you continue to be unhelpful, I will not hesitate to stun you and find her myself."

The Healer looked frightened, unsure of what to do. He fidgeted with his sleeves as he said, "You can't just walk in here and threaten – "

In the blink of an eye, the Healer found himself on the wrong side of a wand, sparks crackling at the end, as if to reiterate the man's point, effectively cutting off what he was saying. "Down the hall, third door on your left. No need to fill out any paperwork, I'll take care of it," he added hastily as he tried to manoeuvre himself away from the pointed wand. "I'll need your name though."

The words had barely left the Healer's mouth when the grey haired man turned around and started to stride as quickly as he could towards the room. "Charlus," he said, without turning back, "Charlus Potter."

* * *

Charlus opened the door swiftly, only to find his wife in agony. She had grey hair just like her husband, but there was a bit of black strewn in there. She was lying on her bed, scrunching her eyes in pain, which shot open as soon as she hear the door open. Her face broke into a half smile as she saw her husband come in.

Charlus was at her side in an instant, holding her hand and tucking the hair matted to her forehead behind her ear. "Dorea, I'm here. Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" he asked, as he turned expectantly to the Healer in the room.

"She's suffered major internal bleeding, and the placenta has detached from the uterine wall. We controlled her bleeding for now, and the child is in no immediate danger, but must be delivered pre-maturely. I'm compelled to warn you that there is a major risk of losing either or both of them," the Healer said as she started to move her wand in a complicated motion above Dorea's body. A transparent, blue net flew out from her wand and attached itself onto Dorea's stomach. The relief on Dorea's face was apparent and instantaneous, as she was able to sit up without cringing in pain.

Dorea smiled at Charlus weakly as she said, "Don't worry Charlus, you know how Healer Abbott is. She has a flair for the dramatics. We'll be fine."

"This is not the time for joking, dear." Charlus replied seriously, the clipped nature of his tone almost scolding her for attempting humour in such a situation. He turned to the Healer, his eyes heavy with grief and worry. "You do whatever it takes to save them both. I want both of them alive, I need both of them to be alive. We've already lost so much."

Dorea's eyes filled with tears as she tried to laugh it off, but it came out as a mixture of a sob and a scream. "I'm right here Dor, everything will be fine." Charlus whispered as he tried to comfort his wife while the other Mediwizards prepped her for the operation. Healer Abbott walked over to a cabinet near the door and brought out a potion in a twisted crystal vial. "Here, drink this," she said, handing it over. "It'll put you into a deep sleep while we remove the baby. The charms I've placed on you seem to be doing their jobs, but they're not a permanent solution."

Dorea looked at the potion with disgust as she took a whiff of it. She turned to Charlus and mustered up her most innocent voice as she said, "I bet this still tastes better than that potion Caradoc made us drink at that party in sixth year, remember?" Charlus couldn't help but laugh lightly at that as his wife gulped the potion down, making a disgusted face at the end. She always had a tendency to make everything into a joke. Some might just assume she was a bit too jovial and carefree, but he knew otherwise.

"I remember. He woke up with Albus standing over him in the morning, waiting to give him a detention for 'debauchery', as he put it." Charlus replied as he rubbed circles on Dorea's palm. She was slowly drifting off, but the smile never left her face. Just as Dorea closed her eyes, she heard Charlus whisper, "It'll all be okay, I promise."

* * *

Four hours later, Charlus was waiting in the lobby to hear word about the surgery. He could barely keep himself together, fidgeting eternally and pacing around the room. He decided against calling Caradoc to give him company, or informing anyone of what had happened. He told himself he didn't want to worry them, but deep down Charlus knew he just didn't want them to see if it all went downhill, for the umpteenth time.

After what felt like an eternity to him, Healer Abbott walked out from around the corner. "Both of them are safe and out of any danger, but we had a few close calls." She said with a smile. "Would you like to meet them?"

Charlus nodded, he didn't trust himself to speak. He was overcome with so much relief and joy that he almost bounded past Healer Abbott towards his wife's room. They walked in silence, but the relief in the air was apparent. When they reached the room, Healer Abbott stood aside as Charlus strode past her to knock tentatively before he opened the door.

Dorea was lying on the bed, her eyes closed, with a bundle of blankets in her arms. She barely opened her eyes to look at who walked in, but broke into a radiant grin, albeit a tired one, when she registered who it was. It got even bigger, if that was possible in her condition, when Charlus walked straight to her bedside and kissed her on the forehead, as he said, "You are amazing. I can't think of anyone else who would be able to do what you just did, at your age too."

Dorea just laughed, and cheekily replied, "Well, I should hope that you don't think anyone else would deliver your child. And I'm not that old, Charlus. I'm just a bit more closer to hundred than a teenager. It's negligible really." Charlus chuckled, amused by her cheekiness. It was one of the things he loved most about her, the way she always had a reply on the tip of her tongue or a joke ready to fire. He hoped that their child would take after her in that respect. Charlus was always a serious person, even when they were at Hogwarts. It wasn't until he met a certain Slytherin beauty that he started to loosen up a little. The irony was not lost on him.

"Would you like to meet your son?" Dorea asked as she looked adoringly at the bundle in her arms, as if she could stare at it forever and never be bored.

Charlus got over the initial shock of having a boy quickly, and nodded his consent with a wide grin on his face. After all the time they had waited for a baby, both Charlus and Dorea would have been happy to have had either a boy or a girl. They didn't care either way, knowing they would love either the same.

Charlus carefully took the bundle from her arms, moving stiffly so that he would not accidentally hurt the baby. Dorea eyed him with amusement. "You do realise that he's not going to blow up right?" She said as she stretched her arms a bit to remove the weariness that had crept inside them, partly from the day's events and partly from holding her son.

"Of course I do. I just don't want to hurt him by mistake." Charlus replied with a smile, never taking his eyes of the little boy in his arms. As he moved the part of the blanket that covered his son's face, a tuft of black messy hair stood out. "Obviously he got the short end of the gene pool. He looks exactly like you," said Dorea with a mischievous glint in her eye when she noticed her husband eyeing their son with affection. "Except…"

That was the moment their son decided to open his eyes and start to wail with all his might. Charlus almost laughed with joy as he completed her unfinished thought. "Except he has your eyes, Dor. He's beautiful."

"Of course he's beautiful, there's some of me in there too you know. Not just your horrendous genes, thank Merlin. Although I'm worried he might be blind like you." Dorea teased as she stroked her child's head, trying to placate him. "Now there's that little matter of naming him. I like Harry, but it just doesn't seem to suit him much. It's not impish enough. I swear, he almost pulled off Healer Abbot's hair when he came out." She added, struggling to hold back her laughter.

"Our son is barely a day old, but somehow you've already managed to corrupt him," said Charlus as he watched his wife's face alight with laughter. "I think we need a name which is as innocent as they come, so people don't run screaming in the other direction when they meet him," he replied with the most serious expression he could muster, but his lips twitched upwards.

Dorea scoffed, and rolled her eyes, "Please, that only happened once. And how was I supposed to know that he had a run in with a banshee and was utterly terrified of them. It was a joke," she said, as she took her son back into her arms, finally managing to lull him back to sleep. She stared at him, marvelling in his perfection. He was so small and red all over, looking fragile in her arms. But something in her gut told her that he was destined for great things. That he would be noble, courageous and kind, just like his father. The thought of everything that her husband had done for her always brought a smile to her face. She always felt lucky to have found Charlus, as young as they did. But she finally felt whole. Complete.

"I can't decide on a name," Dorea whined as she looked up at her husband's face, which was smiling down at her now. "I want something that's innocent, yet mischievous. But it should be regal too though," she mused out loud.

"Lets just name him Alastor and be done with it," she sighed, waiting for the imminent vehement rebuttal from her husband about naming their child after a mad co-worker. But it never came. Instead, she was the one caught off guard. "How about James? I think it's a nice name," said Charlus, deep in thought, seemingly oblivious to everything his wife had been saying. "It seem's to fit the bill, doesn't it?"

"James… Merlin, James is perfect. James Charlus Potter. It has a certain ring to it, don't you think?" Dorea laughed as she kissed her son. Her James. "Welcome to the world, Jamsey. You're going to be the most spoilt boy in the world. I guarantee it."

"You're going to make a lot of embarrassing pet names for him, aren't you?"

"Of course. I've heard that's what loving mothers do. I've already thought of seven."


	2. A Tale Of Beginnings

"Jamie! Wake up, it's half past eight," said Dorea, siting on the edge of her son's bed. The sun shone through the large french windows that were in James' room, accentuating the burgundy walls. Dorea always had her hands full every morning. James was a very deep sleeper. Honestly, she thought, Voldemort could barge in here with the world's loudest alarm clock, and he still wouldn't wake up.

James groaned as his mother pulled the blanket from his face. "Argh, mom… stop… I'm sleeping," he muttered into his pillow, fumbling to retrieve his blanket from his mother's grasp.

"James Charlus Potter, you are going to Hogwarts today and I forbid you to be late. Now get your tiny buttocks of this bed, or so help me Merlin, I will vanish you," said Dorea as she pulled out her wand, trickling it over her sons body. She couldn't vanish James, Mardock's Rules of Vanishment were clear. But he didn't know that. Not yet anyway.

James eyes shot open as soon as he heard that wonderful word. Hogwarts. He jumped out of bed, running towards the bathroom as he called out to his mother, "Why didn't you tell it was the 1st? Is Dad ready? When do we leave? Is a ministry car coming? Oooo can you apparate me there?" The last bit of James's speech was drowned out by the fact that he was brushing his teeth. That didn't prevent him from trying to communicate.

"Jamie, you know I don't speak gibberish mixed with mermish," said Dorea as she made her way towards the door. "Don't forget to shower, I don't want another incident like the one at the McKinnon's party. Come down for breakfast when you're done."

James spat into the sink as he shouted after her, "I took a shower for the party, I swear. The dungbombs just went off in my pocket."

* * *

James showered and dressed in black robes, as he hurled himself downstairs towards the dinning room. Charlus and Dorea were eating breakfast, talking in hushed voices about a recent attack on a muggle village. As soon as James entered the room, they both went silent. "What happened?" He asked as he walked slowly to where they were sitting, the setting bringing back the memories of last year.

"Nothing James. Your mother and I were just discussing how proud of you we both are. You're a young man now, off to Hogwarts," said Charlus as he smiled at his son. This effectively distracted James, who forgot all about the whispers, and puffed out his chest with pride.

Dorea held back a laugh, as she supplied, "Yes, soon he'll be graduating. Then he'll get married and forget all about his dear mom. My Jamie would be wrapped around some blonde witch's little finger. I'm sure she'll hate me."

"Mom," whined James, as he took a seat at the table and waited for Holly, their house elf, to get breakfast. "Dad, tell mom to stop making fun of me," said James with an exaggerated pout towards his father.

Charlus chuckled as he took a sip of his tea. "Dorea, leave the kid alone."

James winked at his mom, obviously pleased with himself.

Dorea tried to look angry, but couldn't stop the smile from showing. "Tattletale," she whispered to James as she kissed him on the cheek, just as Holly brought him pancakes.

"So, James, which house do you think you'll end up in? You know, all Potters have ended up –" started Charlus.

"In Gryffindor. We know." said Dorea and James simultaneously, although there was a world of difference in their tones. Dorea did not look impressed with that fact, unlike James, and rolled her eyes at him.

"I hope I end up in Gryffindor," said James nervously as he played with his food. He wanted more than anything to be like his father, as every boy his age did. Dorea sensed his nervousness, and said, "Well, I'm sure you will be James. As long as you beat the troll in under five minutes. Only Hufflepuffs take longer than that." James eyes bulged out of his head, as he looked at his parents. "Of course I can," he replied quickly, with apprehension in his tone, which he tried to pass off as arrogance.

"Don't worry James, your mother is just trying to lighten the mood. You just have to put on a hat, I promise," replied Charlus, meeting his son's hesitant gaze with a supportive one, and picked up the day's Prophet. He heard his wife cough, which sounded a lot like the word "spoilsport".

Breakfast passed rather quickly, by the end of which James was bouncing on his feet, with nervous excitement. He basically pushed his parents towards the front door and into the Ministry cars which were waiting outside. He thought, not for the first time, that it was rather convenient his father was the head of the Auror Department.

James spent the entire ride to Kings Cross Station asking his parents everything about Hogwarts, even though he already knew it all by heart. He only sulked for a little when he realised that first years could not try out for the Quidditch team. When they arrived, Charlus helped James load his trunk onto a trolley.

"Where'd mom go?" asked James as he looked up to his dad, and then started looking around him to catch a glimpse of her.

"There she is," replied Charlus, as he pointed in front of them at Dorea, who was standing next to the platform with an owl in a cage.

James looked at the owl in awe. The owl was bigger than most, black all over, except the area around the eyes, which was light grey. "Is it for me?" asked James as he ran a finger over the cage, the owl nipping at it affectionately.

"Of course it is. Do you see a brother or sister around?" said Dorea as she handed him the cage. "Just don't name it something unusual, like Byron," she added in a whisper, referring to their family owl that Charlus had named.

"Why would I do that? I think I'll actually like this owl," replied James with a grin.

"I'll have you know, Byron is a majestic name for an owl," said Charlus, who has overheard his wife and son whispering to each other, and tried to ignoring the hushed laughter that followed. "Lets just get on to the platform."

As they appeared on the other side of the wall, on to Platform 9 3/4, James looked at his owl as he asked his parents, "You'll both write to me, won't you?"

Charlus nodded with a smile, as Dorea said, "Everyday for the whole year. A few miles between us won't stop me from embarrassing my Jamie. I'll only send howlers."

James smiled at his parents. Growing up, he figured out what made his parents tick. While his dad was usually calm and serious, he was never stern. His mom on the other hand was very relaxed and mischievous, nothing she said should be taken to heart. Both his parents doted upon him, and while they were older than most others, they gave James everything he ever wanted, be it a new racing broom or his very own Quidditch pitch, though they didn't seem to have a lot of time, being high ranking Aurors as well.

"The other kids will think I'm a bad influence if I get howlers everyday, mom. How about just once in a month?" asked James as he hugged his parents goodbye.

"Be good, James. Don't get into trouble," said Charlus as he affectionately ruffled his son's messy hair.

"Bye Jamsie, have fun at Hogwarts. Don't be too good." Dorea added as she kissed James on the side of his head.

James just smiled at his parents, with a spark of mischief in his eyes. "Don't worry. I'm sure I won't be able to blow up a gigantic castle. Or will I?" With that, he gave them one final wave and made his way towards the train.

As James was about to get on the train, he heard his mother chuckle as Charlus said, "He's going to get more detentions than you, isn't he Dor?"

"I'd like to see him try."

* * *

James found himself wandering the corridors of the train, dragging his trunk behind him, trying to find an empty apartment. At last, he came across one at the very end of the train. The compartment was not as big as he had hoped for, or was used to. It had two benches opposite to each other, which seemed comfortable enough, he thought.

James heaved his trunk onto the rack, and sat down near the window, staring out towards the retreating platform, trying to catch a glimpse of his parents.

"Do you mind sharing?"

The sudden question startled James, as he turned to look at the source.

There, at the door, stood a boy no older than himself. He wore black robes too, with a crest woven into the breast area. The boy had straight black hair, which were a little longer than James'. His grey eyes gazed expectantly at James, waiting for an answer. James' eyes flashed with knowledge as he recognised the crest, but chose not to say anything about it, which did not go unnoticed by the boy.

"Not at all. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go to Hogwarts alone. I'd be bored out of my mind, wouldn't you?" said James with a smile, as he waved to the empty seat in front of him. The boy smiled back as he entered the compartment with his trunk.

James helped him in lifting the trunk onto the rack. "I'm James Potter by the way," said James as he sat down in his spot next to the window.

"Sirius Black," the boy replied with a grin, as he removed a fanged frisbee from his pocket.

James eyed the frisbee with delight. "You know what Sirius, I think you and I will get along just fine."

* * *

Soon, both Sirius and James were joined by three other boys, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Frank Longbottom. While James didn't know Peter or Remus, he had met Frank several times at Wizarding parties. The three boys had been running away from a particularly angry cat out for revenge because Peter had accidentally stepped on its tail, and has stumbled into their compartment. After acquainting themselves with each other, they started playing exploding snaps, laughing rowdily whenever someone almost lost an eyebrow. They were momentarily stunned when a redhead girl walked into the room, crying. As she sat down and stared out the window, the boys exchanged quizzical looks. James just shrugged at Sirius, and they both continued playing. The others joined in soon after, the girl all but forgotten.

After a while, a greasy haired boy walked in, who ignored the other people in the compartment and started a conversation with the redhead. The other boys in the compartment tried their best to not overhear, but it was impossible.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," James heard the greasy haired boy say.

"Slytherin?" said James out loud, before he could stop himself. "Who'd want to be in Slytherin? I think I'd rather leave, wouldn't you?" he asked Sirius.

"My whole family has been in Slytherin," replied Sirius, looking crestfallen, as he glanced sadly to the embroidery on his robes.

"Blimey," exclaimed James, "and I thought you seemed all right!"

"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?" asked Sirius as he took a quick look around the cabin. Remus, Peter and Frank were all sitting quietly, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

James lifted an invisible sword. "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."

The greasy haired boy made a small, disparaging noise.

"Got a problem with that?" asked James with a glare, deciding he didn't like the Slytherin wannabe.

"No," the boy replied, though his slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy—"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" interjected Sirius rudely. James roared with laughter. The red head sat up, looking rather flushed, and glared from James to Sirius in distaste.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment," she said, and made her way towards the door, pulling him behind her.

"Oooooo. . . "

James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice as James tried to trip Severus as he passed.

"See ya, Snivellus!" James shouted as he slammed the compartment door behind the two, hoping it would hit Severus as he walked out.

"Good riddance, don't you think?" asked Sirius as his body language became casual once again.

"Definitely." James replied as he turned around to look at the other people in the compartment. Remus was reading a book which no one knew he had, Frank was looking around awkwardly, unsure about what to do, while Peter was staring at James and Sirius with admiration. "Back to exploding snap then?"

"Nah, we should change into our robes. I think we're about to arrive," said Sirius as he walked towards his trunk. James had barely spent a day with Sirius, but he already knew that everything

Sirius did had a certain amount of casual elegance in it. It reminded him a little of his mother for some odd reason.

"Right you are," replied James, stirring the others into action as well. Soon, everyone had changed into their Hogwarts robes, after a minor incident where Peter's head got stuck in his robe, which prompted the rest of them to burst into laughter.

The train came to a slow halt, just as the five boys heard a loud, booming voice call out, "First'-years, over 'ere. Leave yer trunks, someone will get 'em. Firs'-years, over 'ere."

The boys looked at each other, shrugged, and walked out of the train, searching for the source of the voice. When they found it, however, they were dumbstruck.

There stood a colossal man, over ten feet tall, with shaggy black hair and an unkempt beard. He looked like a giant, his feet almost as big as most first years. While some of the older stood students greeted him casually, the first year were clearly shell shocked. They were incapable of even acknowledging him when he introduced himself. "Alright, well, 'm Hagrid, Keepers 'o Keys and Grounds here. Follow me, we'll be takin' boats to the castle."

James and Sirius quickly rushed to Hagrid's side, striking up a conversation as they made their way to the boats.

"So Hagrid," said James, "How did you get so big? Potion gone wrong?"

"Yer goin' to be a ruddy pain, aren' ya?" asked Hagrid with a chuckle. "What's yer name boy?"

"I'm James Potter. This here is my friend, Sirius Black," replied James, pointing towards Sirius.

"Potter eh? Met yer' parents. Good folk," said Hagrid, as he continued walking. The two boy's broke out into a jog to keep up with the large man's strides. "Black, Black. Yeh related to that crazy witch, Bella-'mthing?"

Sirius face appeared to fall a bit. "Yeah, she's my cousin."

"He's nothing like her though, Hagrid," chimed in James, trying to cheer Sirius up a bit. He got a grin in response.

"Figured that out for meself when 'e didn' call me a ruddy half breed an' run the othe' way," replied Hagrid as they reached the boats. "Right, well, no mo' than four inna boat."

James and Sirius chose the boat with Frank, Remus and Peter in it. "It's just a guideline. We're basically four, Peter being so tiny and all," reassured Sirius as he got into the boat with James. While Frank and Peter accepted it, Remus looked like he had something to say, but decided agaisnt it and followed suit.

The boats started drifting slowly, seemingly by themselves. While most students let out gasps of wonder, Sirius and James merely laughed. Apparently, they had both been expecting this, since neither seemed astonished.

"Ya'll be gettin' yer first glance 'o Hogwarts now," bellowed Hagrid, pointing at something behind a group of rocks.

Everyone turned their head, cramming their necks to look at the castle they had heard so much about. There was also a bit of pushing and tugging, as James thought he heard someone fall into the water. But when the castle came into view, there was not a sound to be heard.

The entire fleet came to a halt by the time the students had finished admiring the beauty of the castle. Its many towers stood tall and mighty, while the lights in different windows made the towers seem like gigantic candles. Hagrid led them towards that castle through a long, winding wooden staircase from the docks. James heard Frank counting the numbers of stairs somewhere behind him, but was too busy staring at the castle to care. The trip was long, but no one really noticed, as they finally stood in front of a large wooden door.

"A galleon says you won't shout banshee when that door opens," whispered James to Sirius as Hagrid knocked on the door. Sirius grinned, and cleared his throat, as if to say he accepted the challenge.

The door opened, a tall witch in emerald green robes walked out with a stiff neck and a 'no nonsense' attitude. Her hair was tied in tight bun, not a stray hair in sight. Any sane person would have kept quiet when they were faced with such a stern witch. Thankfully, Sirius wasn't one of them.

"BANSHEE!" Sirius screamed at the top of his lungs. Luckily, he had the sense to hide behind a group of students when he did so.

Some students screamed and started to run for cover, while others looked thoroughly confused and broke out into furious whispers. The chaos came to an abrupt halt when the stern witch said, "Enough. There is no banshee at Hogwarts, and I can assure you all there never will be. I would hope that such silly pranks do not become a custom with you all." She turned to Hagrid, as she added, "Thank you, Hagrid."

"Me pleasure, Professor McGonagall. I'll leave yeh to it," replied Hagrid, who turned and made his way out, just as Professor McGonagall turned once again to the group of children.

"The sorting ceremony will begin shortly. There are four houses, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Each house has it's own noble history, having produced numerous of the most gifted witches and wizards the world has ever seen. Your house will be like your family while you are here. Behave, and you will earn points. Misbehave, and you will lose points. The house with the most points at the end of the year will win the house cup," said Professor McGonagall as she started to make her way out. "I will come back to collect you when they are ready."

The students waited anxiously for Professor McGonagall to arrive. James was talking with Sirius, when he saw the redhead from before looking nervously at the door. "You know, my mom said we'd have to fight a troll," said James loudly, knowing the redhead heard him when her eyes almost fell out of her head. He snickered, pleased to have gotten a reaction out of her, while she threw him a dirty look, presumably after Severus told her about the sorting hat. Greasy git, thought James, just as the door opened.

Professor McGonagall walked into the waiting hall, as she said, "They're ready for you. Follow me."

The first years shuffled along behind her as they entered the great hall. Most of them were unprepared for what they would see. The first, and most obvious attraction of the Great Hall was the enchanted ceiling, which seemed to mimic the skies outside. It was ink black, with very few clouds, and clusters of stars sprinkled about as if they were winking down on the students.

James walked confidently, unperturbed by the eyes of the older students. Sirius casually walked besides him, but his eyes kept wandering to the Slytherin table. Eventually, the group of children came to a halt in front of an old, battered wizards hat sitting on a stool.

The entire school seemed to hold its breath as a rip appeared on the hat, and it started to sing:

"_Let me tell a story,_

_of how I came to be._

_How four of the greatest,_

_poured life into me._

The founders decided,

_that they needed a fifth._

_Someone impartial,_

_to sort children into kin._

Noble Gryffindor said,

_'Here, take my hat._

_All I ask is that you give me,_

_the bravest of the lads.'_

Sly Slytherin said,

_'I want the most ambitious._

_The cunning and the clever,_

_the purest blood in addition.'_

Clever Ravenclaw said,

_'I'll cast the spell myself._

_The only thing I care,_

_is intelligence beyond all else.'_

Kind Hufflepuff said,

_'I care not for folly things,_

_if they have magic in their veins,_

_I'll take them beneath my wings.'_

And so I was born,

_to do as they had wished._

_Put me on and let me see,_

_where you best fit in."_

The Great Hall broke into applause, as Professor McGonagall brought out a rolled up peace of parchment. "When I call out your names, you will come and put the hat on. When you have been sorted, you will join the rest of your housemates at their respective tables."

"Abbott, Haley," said Professor McGonagall. A shy little girl walked up nervously to the stool, and put the hat on. After a few seconds, the hat screamed, "HUFFLEPUFF."

The table to the right broke into applause and cheers as Haley Abbott made her way there, seemingly delighted.

This continued as "Aubrey, Bertram," was sorted in Ravenclaw, "Avery, Zabus," went to Slytherin.

"Black, Sirius," said Professor McGonagall, as the hall broke out into hushed whispers. Even some of the teachers at the High Table looked a little peeved. Professor Dumbledore, however, was completely calm, with a small smile on his face.

'Anything but Slytherin,' thought Sirius as he put the hat on.

"Not Slytherin eh? But it's been legacy you see, all Blacks go there," Sirius heard a small voice in his ear.

'I'm not like the other Blacks,' thought Sirius angrily.

"I see that, yes. Well then, you'd be perfect in… GRYFFINDOR!"

The shocked looks of everyone in the hall was a great sight for Sirius, who let out a sigh of relief. He heard a lonesome clap, and looked down to see James clapping his hands enthusiastically, giving him a wink. This brought the hall back to life, which broke out into whispers amid the deafening cheers from the table on the far left. Sirius casually strode his way to the table, a huge grin on his face.

James held his breath when that pompous redhead walked up to be sorted when Professor McGonagall called out, "Evans, Lily".

She sat down on the stool, and closed her eyes tight, which opened a little in surprise when the hat whispered into her ear.

"You want to go Slytherin? But why? Ravenclaw would be a better fit," the voice said.

"Because my best friend thinks its the best house. Isn't it?" Lily asked, nervousness creeping into her voice. Honestly, she would be happy with any house as long as it meant that it proved she was a witch, and that she belonged here.

"Ambitious, I see, and a thirst to prove yourself. Well well, your mind's not too shabby either, Ravenclaw might be the perfect fit. But your determination to be with your friend, very noble of you. Courage by the cauldron full as well. I can only think of one place for you… GRYFFINDOR!"

James thought he heard Lily sigh with relief, and found himself smiling even without realising it. He waited for his turn as he watched Remus, Peter and Frank all get sorted into Gryffindor, albeit a little impatiently. Then again, he hadn't been raised to be patient. Something he got from his mother.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to James, Professor McGonagall called out, "Potter, James."

James walked confidently to the stool, and sat down as he placed the hat over his head without hesitation.

"Ah, a Potter. I was wondering when I'd be seeing you. Yes, plenty of courage, I see, and an exceptional mind. Oh, but you're ambitious aren't you. And resourceful too. Looks like you got the best of both houses. Interesting… You want to be with your friends, eh? I suppose there's no harm in that, Merlin knows how boring this school has become… GRYFFINDOR!"

James grinned as he placed the hat back on the stool, and strode arrogantly towards the table on the far end. He passed by Lily, who stuck up her nose and ignored him, as he made his way to sit in between Sirius and Remus, both of whom gave him a thumbs up.

A while later, James noticed that Snivellus, or rather, "Snape, Severus," was sorted into Slytherin almost instantly. The slight disappointment on Snape's face was evident when he glanced at Lily as he made his way towards the farthest table from the Gryffindors. It pleased James to no end when he realised that Lily was too busy chatting with some girl next to her, Alice, he thought was what the Professor had called her, to notice Severus angst filled glance.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore got up to speak and a hush fell over the crowd. "The time for speeches is after we have satisfied our hunger and thirst. Before we start the feast, I have but a few words to say: Tuck in," said Professor Dumbledore with a small smile and a lavish wave of his arm. Instantly, the plates in front of them were filled with food and drinks. Pitchers of pumpkin juice, roasted beef, lamb racks, baked potatoes, and drumsticks to name a few.

Half way through dinner, Frank, who was sitting a few seats away, screamed, "Ahhh!"

Everyone turned their head to find a a ghost emerging from Frank's plate.

"I'd appreciate it if you did not announce my arrival with a scream, young man," said the ghost.

Frank looked stunned for a moment, and then shot back in a mocking tone, "Well, I'd appreciate it if you didn't pop up from my chicken."

James and Sirius sniggered, as Lily politely asked, "Who are you?"

"Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, resident ghost of the Gryffindor tower."

"That seems like a tongue-full, doesn't it Sirius?" asked James, as he took a swig of pumpkin juice.

Sirius nodded his reply, as he turned to Sir Nicholas. "How'd you die?"

"A mistake which had terrible repercussions. The executioner couldn't even do the job properly, might I add, as my request to join the Headless Hunt has been denied," said Sir Nicholas.

"What do you mean he didn't do the job properly?" interjected Frank, with a mouthful of pudding. James and Sirius didn't even notice that the dessert had arrived, and started to stuff their plates full.

"This," replied Sir Nicholas as he tilted his head, which would have fallen to the floor had it not been attached to his body with a sliver of skin.

Lily and her friend, who James found out was Alice Prewett, looked like they were going to throw up, and averted their eyes immediately, suddenly interested in anything which was not near the ghost.

James, Sirius and Frank burst out laughing while the older students around them pointedly ignored the whole scene, as if it was almost a routine to them, one which they didn't enjoy in the least.

"Nick, you're almost without a head," howled Sirius with laughter as he clutch his sides.

"Nearly-Headless Nick, eh?" chimed James, as he held onto Sirius to prevent himself from falling off the seat.

The nickname started a fresh round of laughter all around the table, the older students who had overheard the conversation, joining in.

"I'll be going now. Good day," huffed Sir Nicholas as he drifted away towards the other ghosts.

"See ya later, Nearly-Headless Nick!" shouted Sirius with a grin.

* * *

James and Sirius were still snickering about their encounter when Professor Dumbledore stood up and clinked his glass. Instantly, the Great Hall fell silent.

"Welcome, to another year at Hogwarts." said Professor Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. "As you can see, we have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Zerkley." A middle aged man smiled at them from the High Table amid polite applause.

"Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filtch, has asked me remind everyone that Fanged Frisbees, All-Day Glue, and Bitting Bags are banned inside Hogwarts. The entire list can be found in Mr. Filtch's office. He has also fervently asked me to remind you all that magic is not allowed in the corridors, and the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students," said Dumbledore as he smiled towards a couple of redheads in the Ravenclaw table, who James thought were twins. They didn't look much older than he was.

"Lastly, I would like to reassure all of you, that Hogwarts will always be here to keep you safe. Inside these walls, nothing can harm you. Now, off to bed. As I have just been informed by Professor McGonagall, classes do indeed start tomorrow."

The screeching of chairs signified the end of dinner, as everyone got up to make their way back to their respective common rooms.

James, Sirius and the other first year Gryffindors followed a Prefect to the Gryffindor tower. James and Sirius were chattering between themselves, commenting on the absurdity of some painting, while trying to tickle a few others, though no one understood why. "I overheard my mom saying something about the kitchen," was all James would say on the matter.

When they arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, the Prefect said, "This is the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower. To be allowed in by the Fat Lady, a password must be given. This changes every week, and is put up on the notice board inside."

"Really now? Could no one have come up with a better name for me?" huffed the Fat Lady. "Password?"

"Gigglefly," said the Prefect, to which the Fat Lady nodded, and opened the door, still annoyed with her name.

As Sirius and James passed, they both winked at the Fat Lady, which earned them a giggle. James noticed Lily rolling her eyes at them, and shot her a wink as well, grinning madly when she blushed a little and walked away.

After the Prefect explained where their rooms were located, Sirius and James tuned out and were too busy trying to figure out the best place to sit in the Gryffindor Common Room. James felt it was the seats nearer to the fireplace, while Sirius was of the opinion that the ones near the window were better. They argued about it as they made their way to their dorm.

"But you'd be more warm near the fireplace, and that love seat looked comfortable."

"Everybody would think about that, but nobody would give a second to the places near the window. It'd be much quieter, I'm sure of it."

When they entered their dorm, they found that their trunks were already there. James and Sirius were quick to find their beds, which were incidentally next to each other, the furthest from the door. Remus got the one next to James, quietly slipping into it without drawing any attention to himself. Peter's bed was after Remus', and Frank got the one nearest to the door.

"Just my luck," mumbled Frank as he fell onto his bed, too tired to make a big deal out of his unwanted location. Remus and Peter soon followed his example, falling fast asleep.

James and Sirius sat talking about the castle, classes, teachers, and anything else until they saw the sun come up. They were so sleepy, they didn't even make it to Transfiguration on time. But the detention they received was worth it, because in the years to come, if you asked either James and Sirius, they would tell you that the day they became best friends… was this one.


	3. A Tale Of Friendship

"Oi, James," said Sirius as the they roamed around the castle at midnight. "I think I can hear Filtch and that stupid cat of his."

James and Sirius had only been at Hogwarts a couple of days, but they shared a common belief about rules. They were meant to be broken. In those few days, they had racked up more detentions than the rest of Hogwarts combined, not to mention a letter had been sent to their parents regarding a certain girls toilet which had been flooded by the two.

"Well, mate, I think you should stop whispering so loudly then," replied James sarcastically as he tried to remember the way back to the common room.

"You should stop being such a wimp."

"You should stop being about as helpful as a troll."

"You should stop being stuck up like Evans."

"You should stop growing your hair long like Snivellus."

Sirius and James paused their banter, their eyes meeting with amusement, and burst out laughing. Sirius had to lean on a suit of armour for support, which caused it to fall down, causing a ruckus.

"Who's there?" they heard the voice of the caretaker, Argus Filch, as his footsteps gathered speed. "Students out of bed, my dear. Just imagine the detentions."

"Bollocks."

James and Sirius laughter died instantly as they broke off into a run in the general direction of the Gryffindor Tower, since neither of them could remember the exact way back. They weaved through corridors, bound up staircases, and breathed a sigh of relief when the portrait of the Fat Lady came into view.

However, the Fat Lady was asleep in her painting, with a bottle of wine dangling from her palm.

"Great, the one night we actually need her help, she's passed out like a wizard celebrating England's victory at the Quidditch World Cup," said Sirius angrily, as he pounded on the painting, hoping to wake her up.

"That's never going to happen sadly… maybe we should go somewhere else, yeah?" said James, pointing towards the light which seemed to get brighter and closer by the second.

"Like where, the corridor leads to a dead end." Sirius renewed his attack on the painting with greater urgency than before. Just when they saw Filch's head come into view, the portrait door opened, and Sirius tugged James into the common room, slamming the door shut as Filtch started to run towards them.

"Did the Fat Lady wake up?" asked James, confusion evident in his tone. He held his ear to the portrait door and heard Filtch swear loudly as he tried to wake up the Fat Lady. Apparently, she was still asleep.

"No, but Remus did."

James turned his head at Sirius' response, only to find Remus, with a book in his hand, standing a little away from them.

"I was reading a book in the common room, and fell asleep. You're banging woke me up," said Remus, as he shuffled his feet awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with either of the boys.

Under the moonlight beaming in from the window nearby, Remus' face looked aged beyond his years. There was a kind of maturity in him which seemed forced, like someone had made him grow up much too soon. The most alarming feature on his face were the presence of small scratches, which were healing. He always evaded their questions about them, which only increased their curiosity.

"Well, I'll just go to bed now. Goodnight," said Remus as he started to walk away from James and Sirius.

"Wait. Uh… thanks. Without you, we would probably have another detention," said James, ruffling his hair as he walked behind Remus.

"Yeah," chimed Sirius, "We would have sent Gryffindor to negative points in the first week," as he followed James' lead.

Remus smiled lightly as James and Sirius clapped him on the back, falling in step with him as they made their way back to the dorm together.

"You know, Remus. You're alright," whispered James as he lightly opened and closed the dorm door behind the three of them.

"Next time, you're definitely coming with us," added Sirius as he made his way to his bed, not bothering to keep his voice down. The two other occupants of the dorm didn't even flinch, obviously sound asleep.

"We'll just have to ask Frank to keep a lookout then, Merlin knows we'll find ourself in that situation again," came James' voice from his bed, muffled by the pillow he was lying face first in.

"Eh, minor detail. You worry too much, Jamsie."

The sound of a pillow flying through the air was heard, with a dull thud as it met it's mark.

"Bloody Quidditch player."

Remus smiled to himself as he fell asleep. Maybe he could be normal after all. The last thing he heard was James' muffled voice.

"Call me Jamsie again, and it'll be a Bludger."

* * *

James, Sirius and Remus were out near the lake, lounging below the beech tree. Remus had a book in his hand, while James and Sirius were throwing a Quaffle between them. The pair of them had figured out that Remus liked to keep himself occupied at all times, which mostly included a book. Though that didn't stop him from conversing.

"I still can't believe McKinnon is allowing you to train with the team," said Sirius as he threw the Quaffle to James. Robb McKinnon was a seventh year Gryffindor, and captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"That was pretty smart of him, bypassing the rules like that. Technically, you aren't on the team. You just train with them," added Remus thoughtfully as he flipped through his book to figure out how much he had left to read.

"And I get to learn so much from them. McKinnon thinks one day I'll be captain," replied James, his face glowing with pride.

"Our little Jamsie, captain of the – "

And that's when James hurled the Quaffle at Sirius' head, smirking when it hit him bang on the face.

"Oi, that'll leave a mark," cried Sirius, as he inspected his reflection by leaning over the bank and staring at the water in the Black Lake.

"Maybe that'll remind you to stop with the nicknames."

"Bloody reserve chaser."

"Shut up," said Remus forcefully, effectively silencing the two. He jabbed his hand behind him, pointing towards a cheering crowd of Slytherins who had formed a circle around something.

"Well, this can't be good," sighed James as he dusted himself off, and made his way towards the crowd, Sirius and Remus behind him.

When they pushed their way to the front, they saw Avery and Mulciber standing above Peter, who was kneeling on the ground clutching his stomach. "Aww, does the little Gryffindor need his mommy?" mocked Mulciber as he kicked Peter in the stomach again, causing him to groan.

"Oi," said James angrily, as he strode out in the middle to meet the two Slytherins. "Why don't you leave him alone and be on your merry way to where ever you snakes sleep?" he asked as he drew his wand.

"Leave, Potter. This doesn't concern you," snarled Avery, drawing his own wand.

"Oh, since the mighty Avery has told us to leave, we'll be on our way, shall we James?" drawled Sirius sarcastically, as he stood beside James with his wand drawn as well. Remus was standing behind them, conflicted about whether he should join the stand off. Eventually, he sighed, and stood on the other side of James, drawing his own wand.

"Look at that, they're standing up for this spineless cat," snorted Mulciber, which made him look more like a pig than usual. "Or is he supposed to be a lion?"

While the Slytherins was distracted by the unexpected company, Peter punched Mulciber in the face and ran behind James.

"Ow!" cried Mulciber, bringing his hand to his nose, which was now leaking blood.

Avery raised his hand to fire a curse, but he quickly fell to ground, rigid as a plank when James shouted, "_Petrificus Totalus._"

Mulciber glanced at Avery, and found himself staring at three wands when he looked up again. The other Slytherins had seemingly abandoned him, for there was no one around.

"Now, would you like to apologise to Peter, or should we just leave you here like him," said James patronisingly, as he nodded his head towards Avery's still form.

Just as Mulciber had uttered a rather insincere apology to Peter, the four boys heard a voice that made them stop in their tracks.

"Mr. Potter, what is the meaning of this?" shouted Professor McGonagall, fury and rage pouring from her. She unfroze Avery with a flick of her wand, as she rounded on the four Gryffindors. James thought he saw a flicker of red behind her, as Lily emerged and went to stand by the side with Alice next to her. James cast a dirty look at her, but she defiantly held his gaze, until James had to tear away from those mesmerising eyes to answer the Professor.

"Umm… You see, Professor… we were just sitting by the tree when we heard a commotion over here. Naturally, being the true Gryffindors that we are, we came here to investigate," started James, taking on that tone he reserved especially for McGonagall. "These two slime balls had poor Peter over here kneeling on the floor, as they kicked the daylights out him. We couldn't let that happen, could we?"

Sirius started nodding furiously, as he began, "So we stepped in and helped ol' Peter out. Mulciber had just apologised for his actions when you walked in."

"It's true, Professor," chimed Remus, who was supporting a rather sick looking Peter.

Professor McGonagall appraised them for a second, looking unconvinced. Finally, she sighed in annoyance.

"Five points from Gryffindor and Slytherin for fighting like immature children. You both, meet Professor Slughorn, who will decide your punishment." said Professor McGonagall, as she dismissed Avery and Mulciber. "Mr. Lupin, take Mr. Pettigrew to the Hospital Wing."

Remus nodded his understanding, and began trudging away supporting a sickly Peter, who groaned with every step.

Professor McGonagall then turned her attention to Sirius and James, who were trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. "Beautiful weather, isn't it?" asked Sirius, with puppy dog eyes.

James struggled to control his laughter next to him as Professor McGonagall looked shocked at the spontaneous question. She quickly regained her composure, as she said, "Detention, Black. I do not tolerate such cheek. As for you, Potter," she looked pointedly at James, "You will be joining Mr. Black here in detention for using magic outside of the classroom. Today evening, at 8'o clock sharp."

"But that's not fair," started James angrily, ignoring the pleading look from Sirius which asked him to shut his mouth before he got them into any more trouble. "They were the ones who started it. They were picking on Peter for no reason. They were kicking him, or did you just about forget that?"

"So instead of looking for a teacher, as Miss Evans did, you decided to take matters into your own hand?" asked Professor McGonagall in a voice that clearly implied she did not like the tone James was taking.

"I'm sorry if we all can't be tattletales like Evan here," replied James, trying his best to control his temper. He saw a flash of hurt pass over Lily's features, but chose to ignore it. "But I will not apologise for standing up for my friend," he added with a stubborn look at the teacher.

"Detention for the whole week, Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall sternly, though it didn't seem like her heart was into it.

"Fine," he replied, holding her gaze, refusing to back down.

Professor McGonagall sighed as she turned to leave, but thought better of it as she added over her shoulder, "Oh, and Potter, congratulations on becoming the 'reserve' chaser, as McKinnon so eloquently put it. He was adamant that you fill his spot on the team next year."

James stood there with his mouth open, unable to comprehend what had happened. He was sure she was going to dock points, or write a letter to his parents. But out of all thing she could have done, he didn't expect her to congratulate him. "What… huh?"

"Unbelievable," laughed Sirius when Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Even when you get detention, the teachers love you."

"Shut it, you dunce. We wouldn't have gotten detention in the first place if it wasn't for you. 'Beautiful weather, isn't it?' What the hell were you thinking, Sirius?" chuckled James.

"At least I said something. You were standing there with your mouth open, hoping to catch some runaway chocolate frogs."

"Was not."

"Were too. And when you did open your mouth, you got yourself in even more trouble."

As James caught sight of Lily, his face hardened. Sirius, who noticed it, turned to look at what exactly had caused such a drastic change in his best friend. He shook his head slightly when he caught sight of Lily glaring at them.

"Forget it mate, she's not worth it, you already have a week's worth of detention," said Sirius, as he tried to steer James away from Lily, and towards the Hospital Wing.

They walked in silence to the Hospital Wing, James quietly seething, though Sirius was a bit confused as to what he was so angry about.

"Hey, Peter!" said James, as Sirius opened the door and they caught sight of him. "How are you?"

"'m alright. That cow has a heavy leg, I'll tell you that," replied Peter quietly, as Madam Pomfrey inspected him one last time, before allowing him to leave.

"Don't worry, I've got an idea to get him back. Avery too. Maybe the whole Slytherin house," said James mischievously.

"So, what did McGonagall say?" asked Remus as they started to make their way towards the Great Hall, hoping to divert James' mind from whatever prank he had in mind. It wasn't as if he minded their pranks, but on occasion, they were known to get out of hand.

"Gave us detention thanks to big mouth over here," replied James, with a nod towards Sirius, who was humming to himself as he walked. "The ponce actually asked her if the weather was beautiful."

Remus burst into laughter as Peter looked a mixture of astonished and amused.

"You really did that?" asked Peter, with admiration in his voice.

Sirius just nodded his head in reply, "McGonagall was congratulating Jamsie here about his chaser gig. She would have kissed him if I wasn't there." Remus chuckled at the thought, while Peter looked unsure of whether to laugh at, or defend, James. "Right after she gave him a week's worth of detention for hexing Avery."

"Reserve Chaser," clarified James, as he smacked Sirius over the head just as they entered the Great Hall.

"Oi! You know it's true. She absolutely adores you."

"I know."

"What was that for then?"

"Call me Jamsie again, and I'll knock you out with a Beater's bat."

* * *

The Marauders sat at their usual place during breakfast, which was incidentally just a few seats away from Lily and her friends. Meals were the only time Lily was seen with the girls, though James had never heard her friends complain about that. Otherwise she was joint at the hip with Severus. Slimy git, he thought, just as the owls began to enter the hall with the morning mail.

"Oh no," escaped James' mouth, as he saw Byron, his family owl, rushing towards him with a red letter in his talons. Byron was pretty old but still showed no signs of old age as he swivelled through the crowd, and landed in front of James, pecking at his finger affectionately. They always got along well, even after his parents had gifted him Knight.

"You got a howler?" asked Remus, staring at the letter, just as Byron took off.

"I can't believe she did it," said Sirius jovially, looking at the letter as if it were a christmas present that arrived early.

"Trust me, neither can I," said James with apprehension, as the letter started smoking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lily lean towards Alice and presumably ask her what the letter was, because just as soon as Alice replied, Lily had a haughty grin on her face. That only made James sink further into his seat.

Which is why James was surprised about what followed after he opened the letter.

"_James Charlus Potter, do you know how shocked I was after I read Minerva's letter. Just be glad your father is away for work, otherwise there would have been hell to pay. Now, while I'm not supposed to say this to you, as per Minerva's instructions in the letter, sorry Minerva_," his mother's voice got just a little louder for the last part, causing James to glance towards the High Table, only to see Professor McGonagall shaking her head, almost amused. Almost.

"_I'm so very proud of you for standing up for your friend. I would love it if you invited all three of them over during the summer, so that I can meet this bunch of marauders, as Minerva put it. They're welcome to stay a couple of weeks if their parents would allow it. As usual, not a word about this letter to your father. Take care, Jamie, I love you,_" Dorea concluded, but then thought better of it , as she added at the top her voice, "_I love you too, Albus, don't be jealous of Jamie. Come over for Christmas dinner,_" just as the howler went up in flames.

James sat there stunned, unable to speak. He turned towards the High Table, afraid his mother might have offended Dumbledore. He was astonished to find him chuckling, as he nodded his head jovially at James s though he accepted the invitation, and returned to his conversation with Slughorn, completely unperturbed.

"Your mother is the coolest person I have ever met."

Sirius' comment brought James' attention back to his friends. He caught sight of Lily, looking both amused and angry, but he didn't bother with her.

"I know."

* * *

Sirius had promised James that he would visit him during the summer after first year, even stay for a few days if his parents permitted it. However, neither of them were optimistic about it. That's why it came as quite a shock when Walburga and Orion Black allowed Sirius to not only visit, but stay with the Potters for a month. James had owled Remus and Peter, who had agreed to come over to James' mansion for a few days at the end of the holidays, were they stay until they had to depart for Platform 9 3/4.

James was pacing about impatiently in front of the fireplace in the parlour, his parents giving him company, anxiously waiting for Sirius to arrive.

"Jamie dear, stop pacing so much. I'm sure he'll arrive soon," said Dorea, a little apprehensive about Sirius coming, though she did not let it show. Her Auror training helped in that regard.

There were certain things about her life that Dorea had never told James, and she didn't want him to find out from anyone but her. She didn't know what Walburga had told Sirius about her, if anything at all. "I swear, you're acting more excited than your father when he met Celestina Warbeck."

Charlus looked as if he was about to say something, but then thought better of it under his wife's challenging gaze. "She's a brilliant artist," was all he said as he returned to his work. James chuckled when he caught his mother's wink, and settled himself on the couch just as the fireplace burst into flames. Sirius walked out from amidst the flames, graceful as ever, with a bag behind him and a huge grin plastered to his face.

"Jamsie, did you miss me?" said Sirius with a mocking tone, puckering his lips to kiss James and opening his arms wide to make a show of hugging him.

James picked up the nearest object, which turned out to be his father's pipe, and threw it at Sirius' head, grinning when it hit its target with a satisfying thud.

"JAMES CHARLUS POTTER," bellowed his mother sternly. "How dare you throw a pipe at our guest? Now apologise, before I decide to turn you into a cockroach."

James looked at his father for help, but Charlus just smiled at him, as if to say, 'I'm not getting into the middle of this.'

"I'm sorry, Sirius," mumbled James with as little sincerity as he could muster. When his mother looked satisfied, he added under his breath, "I'd rather be a butterfly."

Sirius just winked in reply, as he looked up to Dorea, "He does that in school too, Mrs. Potter. I don't know why he uses me as a Bludger's dummy," said Sirius in the sweetest voice he could muster.

Dorea chuckled and hugged Sirius, who seemed a little startled by it, he wasn't used to affection. She knew Sirius had a flair for mischief that rivalled hers. The numerous letters she'd received from Minerva, detailing James' various misdeeds, usually included a notorious Sirius Black. At first, she was worried about the company her son kept. But soon, she realised that Sirius, like herself, was an exception to the Black family. That didn't stop her from worrying about what Walburga might have told him.

Dorea was proud of, and somewhat amazed by, their antics. She had framed every single letter Minerva had sent, except for the ones Charlus didn't know about. Those were hidden safely in her closet. "Enough of the melodramatics, Sirius. And please, call us Charlus and Dorea. Mrs. Potter makes me sound like James' grandmother."

Charlus chuckled a bit, as he made his way to his wife's side. "You've been Mrs. Potter for over 30 years, Dor. You look the part."

Dorea huffed, and pointedly ignored her husband. "Let me show you to your room, Sirius. I though you'd like the bedroom in Jamsie's wing." Sirius nodded and politely followed her.

"As they made their way upstairs, James heard his mother ask excitedly, "Now, tell me how exactly did you boys stuff Mulciber's son into a goal post in the middle of a Quidditch match? I've been dying to know."

* * *

"Where's Remus?" asked James. "We have that essay from Slughorn, don't we? Shouldn't he be furiously scribbling away so that we can copy it later?"

James and Sirius were the only people in the common room, playing wizards chess. It well past midnight, and most of their housemates had decided to turn in early as they had classes the next day.

"Don't know mate. He said he had to go back home yesterday, something about his mum getting sick again," replied Sirius. "Knight to A-3."

"Don't you think it's strange that after every visit, he returns with bruises and scratches all over him?" asked James as he saw Sirius' knight take his castle.

"Maybe his parents beat him? They should meet mine," Sirius said darkly as James took his knight with a pawn. "Bollocks."

"But he disappears every month, around the same time. Like clockwork. And the teachers don't seem to care," pressed James, the chess mach forgotten. "I'm sure that if his mother was sick so often, Dumbledore or McGonagall would done something about it."

"What can they do, James? They're professors, not healers," replied Sirius, pushing the chessboard away. James would have beaten him in a couple of moves anyway, though he didn't feel the need to point that fact out.

"Something just doesn't feel right. Last month, we were in Astronomy, and Professor Sinistra was teaching us about the properties of the full moon, but Remus was so distracted. He didn't even answer her when she asked him what they were discussing. And then, he missed the next class, you remember?" added James. "The one where we had to–"

"–gaze at the full moon to determine its effects," concluded Sirius, as they stared at each other, eyes wide in shock.

They dashed to their dorm at full speed to retrieve their full moon charts, the one Professor Sinistra had insisted they all make in their first class. Finally, James thought, something useful from all that school work.

They didn't care about the noise they were making searching for the charts, which eventually woke up their dorm mates. Frank just mumbled a profanity that they couldn't make out. "Sorry about that. I'm hungry, and–". Frank was asleep before Sirius even finished his sentence.

"Peter, come down fast," whispered James furiously, as he ran to the common room with Sirius at his heels, clutching the chart and a calendar which Sirius had thought to take.

"Are you sure you want Peter here?" asked Sirius quietly when they reached the common room. Peter was still at the foot of the staircase, drudging along sleepily, oblivious to their whispering.

"Of course I do. He's our friend," replied James, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Sirius nodded in reply, though he looked ashamed at his inability to trust people, even Peter. But James didn't notice it. He was too busy staring at the chart.

"Okay, let's see. He was gone for a week halfway through the first month," James said as he underlined the dates on the calendar.

"Right," nodded Sirius, "and then he was gone for about four days in October. The Hogsmede weekend remember? When we tried to sneak in but McGonagall caught us and gave us detention?"

"What are you guys doing?" asked Peter with a yawn, sleep ingrained in his speech, finally catching up to them, though it seemed as if he was still thinking about his bed.

"Trying to remember all the times Remus went home to his sick mother, or sick pet, or whatever he tells us," replied James with his eyes closed, thinking hard.

"This a new brand of stalking?" asked Peter sleepily, "Anyway, he missed the week before exams last year. Came back with that broken hand. I swear, he has a dragon for a pet or something."

"Blimey, you're right." said James, scribbling furiously in the calendar while Sirius made comments over his shoulder. Peter just sat down on the couch, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Its all right here. 23rd September, 22nd October, 21st November," said Sirius in disbelief.

"Are these dates supposed to make sense or have you finally lost it?" asked Peter, confused, He looked at James and Sirius expectantly.

"These were the full moons, Pete," replied James.

"And Remus wasn't here for any of them."

"He was at home, either visiting his sick mom."

"Or tending to his sick pet."

"He always came back with injuries."

"Scratches, and unexplained bruises that he tried to hide from everyone"

"The professors never question him about it."

"Stop it, you're making my head hurt," said Peter with a sigh, as he started massaging his temples. "What are you trying to say?"

"Remus is a werewolf," breathed both James and Sirius in unison.

* * *

"I've been pouring over these books for hours, James. There's nothing in them about helping werewolves," said Sirius frustrated. "Killing, sure. Eating, in some of them. But no one seems to want to help a werewolf, or be near them, like us."

James sighed as he replied. "It was never going to be easy. Why do you think we've been sneaking into the restricted section after the library closes?" This had become routine for them now. Everyday, they would spend almost the entire night at the library, going through book after book. They rarely got enough sleep. The teachers were worried about their health because they seemed subdued in class, perpetually tired, which inadvertently kept them out of trouble. It had only been a couple of weeks since they found out about Remus, but they were determine to help him in anyway they could.

"This is so frustrating. Lets just turn Peter into a cat like McGonagall and throw him at Remus," said Sirius as he picked up a different book and started flipping through the pages.

James stopped abruptly and stared at Sirius with a dazed expression. "Say that again."

"Turn Peter into a cat and feed him to Remus?" asked Sirius, confused. "I just started to like the guy, and now you want to sacrifice him? Hard luck, Pete."

"Oh shut it, you ponce," replied Peter, without looking up from his book. He already looked half asleep.

James barely heard Sirius, flipping furiously through the book in his hand until he found what he was looking for. He gave a little yelp of delight, and began pushing the book under Sirius' nose. "Read that paragraph." As Sirius finished perusing the paragraph, his face broke out into a grin,

"This won't be easy," stated Sirius, with excitement laced in his voice.

"Where's the fun in easy?"

* * *

The four boys sat in their dorm, playing exploding snaps a couple of days before Christmas break started. Frank had gone to study with Alice and the other Gryffindor girls.

"So," started Sirius just has the pair of cards in front of him began to smoke, "I read this article in the Daily Prophet yesterday about werewolves."

Instantly, Remus' body stiffened. He could have given Professor McGonagall a run for her money.

"Really? What did it say?" asked Remus, trying to sound nonchalant. It would have worked, had his voice not betrayed the anxiousness he felt.

"Nothing we didn't already know. Stay away from them, they're dangerous. The usual," continued Sirius, who glanced at James and Peter, who were trying very hard to keep a straight face.

As Remus' eyes saddened, James let out a howl of laughter, and Sirius and Peter couldn't help but join in. They left a very confused Remus staring at them, contemplating about their sanity.

"I can't… we know… nothing's changed…" started James in between his fits of laughter, unable to form coherent sentences.

"You're not making any sense, James" said Remus perplexed.

"What he's trying to say is… we know you're… a… werewolf," said Sirius as he tried to control himself. Remus' astonished look only spurred the three on further.

The three didn't even realise that Remus was deadly quiet, his eyes shimmering.

"I'll move out of the dorm if you want. Just, please don't tell anyone. You never have to talk to me again. The article in the Prophet was right, you should stay away from me. I'm a monst–" started Remus, but was cut off with a clap on the back from James.

"No one want's you to leave, mate. Nothing's changed. Sirius was just yanking your chain a bit before we told you we knew about your… furry little problem?" said James with a smile.

Remus raised an eyebrow at the description, but chose not to comment on it. He was still in shock that the three were still near him. Growing up, he had a couple of friends. But he was instantly shunned when they found out about his lycanthropy. His muggle friends also avoided him after a while when he would come back with inexplainable injuries.

"How long have you known?" he asked quietly, unable to look them in the eye.

"A while now," relied Sirius casually, as if he were discussing the weather with Professor McGonagall again.

"I don't understand." admitted Remus shamefully. "You guys knew, but you still hung out with me?"

"Of course we did. Just because you turn into a wolf who wants to eat us once a month doesn't mean you're not our friend," said James with a grin. "My dad said it happens to women too."

"You see Remus, you're just a girl," joked Sirius as he started building a house with the exploding snap cards.

"It changes nothing," added Peter, not wanting to be excluded from the conversation.

"In fact, we think we found a way to help you. Do you want to do the honours, Sirius?"

"It was your idea, James."

"Together then?"

Sirius nodded his assent. They turned to Remus as said together, in the most McGonagall voice they could manage, "We'll become Animagi."

Remus stared at them for a second, hoping that it was some twisted joke. When they didn't flinch under his scrutiny, he understood that they were serious. And he was furious.

"This is your Christmas present, for the next couple of –" started Sirius, but was cut of by a ferocious Remus.

"Are you crazy? Do you realise the risks involved? Of course you don't, this is all a big adventure to you two idiots, and you're dragging Peter down with you," said Remus, with fury in his eyes. Peter shrank away when Remus mentioned him. "This is a dangerous magic. There's a reason there have been only a handful of animagi in history. You could be stuck as an animal, and that's if you're lucky. You could get killed. And even if you blithering fools did manage to pull it off, are you going to register yourselves? Of course not. Its just a sentence to Azkaban. Nothing too harsh. You'll be able to brush it off like a detention, won't you?"

"Did he call us blithering fools?"

"I think he did, Sirius."

"Is that all you understood?" roared Remus, as he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to try and control himself.

"All that mattered. Rest of it was rubbish. It's our choice, doesn't involve you," said James as he went to lie down on his bed. Sirius went back to building his castle, and Peter seemed to come out of his shell, though he still looked apprehensive.

"What happens when I bite you?" asked Remus, pressing the matter. He wanted them to realise he wasn't worth the risk. He needed them to know that just accepting him was the best thing they could do for him, he didn't expect them to help him. No one could.

"That's the whole point of becoming an animagi, mate. It won't turn us. A werewolf doesn't harm animals." replied Sirius casually, as he placed a card delicately in place. His castle shook for a second, but didn't fall.

"But it will still hurt you? And that would be my fault," pressed Remus, the desperation in his voice evident. He needed them to understand.

"Well, lets just hope we turn into something bigger then. I'm sure I'm a lion. Sirius maybe a cat though," replied James cheerfully, his grin widening when he heard Sirius' indignant chortle.

"Lion my arse. More like a butterfly."

"Better than a cat."

"How is that better than a cat?"

"I can fly."

Sirius' silence told James that he'd won the argument, for now at least. Sirius rarely let anything go. He was going to obsess over this until he found a retort, which he would then try to insert into every mundane conversation, absolutely out of context.

"I still don't like it," said Remus weakly, but anyone could see his resolve was not as strong as before, partly because he was relieved that his friends didn't abandon him when they found out his darkest secret.

"Catch a snitch, and we'll do as you say," offered James, smirking at Remus. Everyone knew Remus wasn't the biggest fan of flying. He had actually managed to get stuck on the roof of the Gryffindor tower with Lily Evans during their flying class in first year.

Remus grumbled, but didn't reply, to the delight of James, Sirius and Peter.

"Well that settles it. Now, can we get back to Exploding Snaps? I was winning," said Peter as he reappeared next to James. Peter wasn't a big fan of conflict, and actively avoided it. Most people didn't understand how he was placed in Gryffindor, he himself didn't understand sometimes. But courage, loyalty and bravery were qualities that Peter admired, which is ultimately what swayed the Sorting Hat.

A loud boom sounded throughout the dorm, causing Peter to jump in surprise. A cloud of black smoke surrounded Sirius, who emerged from it with no eyebrows. Apparently, the castle he was building didn't go according to plan.

James, Remus and Peter burst into laughter, howling at the sooted face of their friend.

They spent the next hour or so making fun of Sirius. Frank joined them later, by which time Sirius had already vowed to go to Madam Promfrey first thing in the morning. Before James got into bed, however, he whispered to Remus, "You'll always be Remus to us, no matter what."

"Thank you. For everything," said Remus honestly, amid snoring from the others.

"And I have to tell you something very important which you can't tell anyone."

"What?"

"I shook his bloody castle."


	4. A Tale Of Devotion

"This is bloody impossible," said Peter, as he glanced through the books that James and Sirius had 'borrowed' from the Restricted Section. James, Sirius and Peter had spend the later half of second year and the summer researching on the procedure to turn into an Animagus. They bought a couple of books from Flourish and Blotts during the summer to read up some more. Third year was definitely going to be interesting.

"It's not impossible. Just… not easy?" supplied James absentmindedly, as he underlined important sections in a book. He still could not believe that they had over a dozen books to go through.

"How is this not impossible? First, we need to master Transfiguration till N.E.W.T level. Then, we need to make a bloody complicated potion, with ingredients we don't have or know where to find. After which we have to master the Patronus Charm, and then somehow will ourselves to become the animal our patronus shows us to be," started Peter with a defeated voice, "How exactly are we supposed to do this? I'm sure I won't be able to."

"Relax, Pete. We're here to help you, aren't we?" said James, his question poised to the other inhabitants of the dorm.

As Sirius nodded his head in reply, Remus looked up from the books he was assigned to. "I still don't think you should try this."

"We'll, nobody asked for your opinion. So for the last time, shut up Remus," said Sirius without missing a beat. This had become a kind of routine for them. Remus' conscience was much more apparent than either James or Sirius'. He didn't thrive on risk, unlike his friends.

"If you start bothering us too much, we're going to do this without you," said James, directing his statement to Remus, which effectively silenced him. Though he did not approve, Remus was still ever grateful that his friends were willing to go to such hardship for him.

"I have to be around, incase you fools did something stupid, like get stuck as an animal," replied Remus with a sigh, as he took to reading again.

"Oh dear me, what would we do without gallant Remus to save us?" mocked Sirius, as he swooned dramatically. James instantly followed his lead.

"Fear not, fair maiden. I will save us," said James, drawing a sword and pointing it towards Peter, who was apparently the "threat".

"Yeah, I'm not doing this," said Peter, as he glanced at them briefly, and then returned to the book in his hand, anxiously going through it. "Last time, Sirius almost kissed me. I had nightmares for weeks."

James and Sirius just laughed off Remus' glare, as they went back to research.

"When do we start?" asked Sirius excitedly.

"When you learn to read properly," replied Remus, noticing Sirius' inverted book.

"Oh."

"I guess we can be sure Sirius isn't going to be a 'smart' animal."

* * *

"We need to find a place to do this Animagus shenanigans. Frank will ask questions in the dorm, and the common room is out of question," said Sirius and he walked along the seventh floor corridor with James.

"Why would you say shenanigans? My mom wouldn't even say that," said James airily, as they passed by the tapestry of Barnebas The Barmy. "We need a quiet place to practice Sirius, but where?"

Sirius stopped for a moment as he examined the tapestry. "Well, how about we use an empty classroom at night?"

"With Filch making it his life's mission to catch us breaking any rule, especially after we stuffed his cat into a Quaffle for the Slytherin-Ravenclaw game, I doubt we can do it without him catching us. Even with the invisibility cloak, it might be a bit too much for all four of us," replied James as he starting walking back towards the common room.

"Oi! Come back here. Take a look at this tapestry," shouted Sirius, as he started running his hand over it.

James sighed as he turned around and walked towards Sirius, his mind still hunting for a place. "This better be good, you're wasting time we don't have."

"Relax, here, feel this and –" started Sirius, but stopped abruptly when his eye caught sight of a door materialising behind James. "Was that door always there, or am I going bonkers?"

"You were already bonkers, mate. Don't know what to tell you," chuckled James, as he turned around to stare at a door which he could have sworn was not there when they first passed by.

"But… that… it… no… what?"

"Use your words, James. I don't speak giant."

"You're irritating."

"I get that a lot."

* * *

James and Sirius were mesmerised when they went through the door, it was as if the room had been tailor-made for them. It was large, with a bunch of emergency medical equipment in a far corner. The backdrop of the room was a huge cabinet, perfect for brewing. There were a bunch of chairs and tables strewn across randomly, on which they could practice their Transfiguration, not to mention a small locked box in the corner, which James thought contained a boggart. He didn't understand its relevance, however.

After a quick look around, James and Sirius rushed to find Remus and Peter. When they returned with them, however, the door was no where to be seen.

"It was right here, I swear," said a frustrated James, as he ran his hand angrily through his hair. "Stop that, you'll go bald," chided Remus. James showed him the finger in reply.

Sirius started kicking the wall where the door used to be, punctuating each kick with a swear word. "Bloody hell," he said, eventually giving up, "This stupid castle and its stupid secrets."

"Are you sure there was a door here?" asked Peter skeptically, as he passed by them, running his hand along the wall.

"Yes," barked Sirius angrily, causing Peter to shrink.

"It was right there, and the room was perfect. I swear," said James in a defeated voice.

"Well, what were you doing when the door appeared?" asked Remus, ever the voice of reason. Amongst the four, Remus was certainly the more logical. Sirius often joked it was due to his werewolf side, which had a bit of truth to it in Remus' eyes, but not in a way Sirius would understand.

"I was looking at the tapestry," said Sirius, as he started running his hands through it again. "Maybe this is what did it."

When no door appeared, Remus turned to James, "What were you doing?"

"Well, I was thinking we needed a place to practice our Animagus transformations. Then I started walking towards towards the common room when this idiot told me to come and feel the fucking tapestry," said James indignantly, still frustrated that the room had vanished.

Under Remus' expectant gaze, James snorted and said, "You want me to do that again?"

Remus' pointed look was enough.

James sighed as he grudgingly shadowed his earlier antics. He was more surprised than anyone when the door reappeared. "Merlin's wand, that's something."

When they opened the door, James and Sirius found themselves gazing at the exact same room. They smirked at the reaction of the other two.

"Believe us now, Pete?" asked Sirius sweetly, grinning when he got a nod in response.

"This place is –" started Remus.

"Perfect. We know," grinned Sirius and James in response.

"Better than a bloody unused classroom anyway."

"Fuck you."

* * *

James and Sirius were on their way to the Quidditch Pitch to fly and bit and throw the Quaffle around. Remus and Peter had, of course, declined to come. "I prefer having my feet on the ground, thank you very much," was what Peter had said when asked.

As they passed by the Entrance Hall, James saw Lily and blushed a furious shade of red, which was the wrong thing to do with present company, though thankfully Lily was too busy talking to some Ravenclaw girl to notice.

"What was that about?" asked Sirius with amusement as soon as Lily was out of earshot.

"What was what?" replied James innocently, trying to act confused.

"You turning into a tomato from Hagrid's patch at the sight of Evans?" pressed Sirius. "Or is that something you do when you pass by everyone?"

"What's it to you?" snapped James, suddenly quite angry, which startled Sirius a little, but he shrugged it off.

They walked in silence to the Quidditch Pitch, where James took a couple of laps around the pitch to cool off. He loved flying, the feeling of wind whipping his face, the rush of adrenaline he feels the higher his broom goes. It allowed him to forget about everything, and just focus on the broom, the way it moved under his grip.

Sirius got the Quaffle out, and mounted his broom, flying to a respectable height near one of the posts, waiting for James.

When James did arrive a short while later, Sirius threw the Quaffle at him, as if nothing had happened, for which James was ever grateful.

"I'm sorry about before. I just–"

"I know. Forget about it," replied Sirius. "Ready to tell me what in Merlin's name is going on now, or do you need another temper tantrum?"

"Fucking bastard," chuckled James as he threw the Quaffle back. "It's just… I think I might fancy Lily. I mean, every time I look at her, I just… get all flustered. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with fancying someone James, although you could have picked a girl who didn't hate your guts," teased Sirius, as he tossed the Quaffle towards the posts, only for James to whiz by and catch it before it went through. "Anyway, I thought you hated her too. You keep complaining about her being a prissy bitch with a stick up her arse."

"I never said that," choked out James quickly.

"Actually, you did. Just last week after she shouted at you for hexing that Slytherin first year."

"What the hell was I supposed to do? He almost cut that Hufflepuff girl's finger off for being a muggleborn," James started indignant.

"Hey, hey, hey," said Sirius, putting his arms up. "I'm on your side, I agree with you. I'm just reminding you why I thought you hated her."

"I don't hate her, Sirius. It's just, sometimes, she gets my blood boiling. I can't explain why," said James, as he flew his broom down and sat on the grass, with Sirius following his lead.

James groaned in frustration as he clutched his hair, "I don't know what to do."

"Well, do you fancy her?" asked Sirius

"I think so."

"Then there's nothing we won't do to help you get her. Jamsie and Lilypie. It has a certain ring to it, don't you think?"

And that's when James threw the Quaffle at Sirius's head.

* * *

The four boys sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, eating breakfast. They had double potions first thing, although that was a while away. "Pass me the bacon, Pete. I'm starving," said Sirius as he started piling food on his plate as Peter quietly obliged.

"You're going to get sick," stated Remus, without taking his eyes off the Daily Prophet.

Sirius replied with his mouthful of bacon, spewing bits of it at Peter, who looked thoroughly disgusted. However, the finger he threw in Remus' direction helped in understanding what he had intended to say.

Peter was moodily stabbing his food, which did not go unnoticed. "What happened, Pete?" asked James.

"You and Sirius have already started on O.W.L level Transfiguration. I'm still stuck in 3rd year," replied Peter defeatedly. "Maybe you both should do it alone."

"That's nonsense, Pete. Without you, we never would have known all the ingredients required for the potion," smiled James, as he clapped Peter on the back. "You'll get it, I promise. Sirius and I will help you."

Peter seemed to cheer up a little, as he smiled back and began eating.

Sirius suddenly elbowed James hard, who spat out the pumpkin juice he was drinking, narrowly avoiding Remus' face.

"Sorry," muttered James, casting an apologetic glance at Remus as he turned to Sirius.

"Why'd you elbow me, you wanker?" asked James, rubbing his torso. He was sure it would leave a bruise.

Sirius just nodded his head towards the door, where Lily Evans was waving goodbye to Snape.

James' face turned a bright red, something which Sirius always found amusing. However, he quickly composed himself as the redhead walked towards his general direction.

"How's it going, Evans?" said James, as his hand involuntarily ruffled through his already messy hair.

"What's it to you, Potter?" replied Lily scathingly. She didn't even break stride as she walked past the four boys, towards the group of Gryffindor girls, along with Frank, who sat at the far end of the table.

James hurriedly got up, looking very much like a cat dosed with cold water, and started to follow her. "So, Evans, I was thinking," he started.

"That's never a good thing, is it?"

"Would you like to go to Hogsmede with me this weekend?"

That stopped Lily in her tracks, as she turned around to see James much too close to her. She took a step back, which helped clear her suddenly foggy mind. "And why would I put myself through the torture?"

"Torture would be another day spent with Snivellus. I just -" smirked James, but was effectively silenced when Lily picked up a jar of pumpkin juice, and poured it over his head.

"I decline your gracious offer, Potter," said Lily in a singsong voice, fury evident in her emerald eyes. She turned around, and made her way to her friends, where Frank gave James an apologetic shrug.

James made his way back to his friends, who were trying desperately not to laugh.

"So, how'd it go?" asked Sirius, mustering the most serious face he could. The laughter dancing in his grey eyes gave him away. Remus allowed himself a small smile, which he hid behind the newspaper. Peter, to his credit, was much better at acting than the others.

"Well, I asked her out, like I said I would," said James, trying not to look too put down by the blatant and embarrassing rejection.

"And then what happened?" asked Peter, in the most innocent voice he could muster.

Peter's question seemed to break all floodgates, as all three started howling in laughter, drawing curious looks from the other student. Lily even glanced at them, and smiled a little, clearly happy about James' embarrassment.

"She dunked a pitcher of pumpkin juice over my head," finished James dejectedly. This only reinforced the laughter around him.

"So she didn't snog you senseless in the middle of the Great Hall like you thought she would?" asked Remus, with a telling smile on his face. He had tried to talk some sense into James, but obviously, he had ignored it.

"Surprisingly, no. Shocking, right?"

"Shut up, Sirius."

* * *

The four of them were in Transfiguration, going through their usual routine. James and Sirius were chatting between them about nothing at all. Remus was concentrating, and diligently taking notes, while Peter was nervously looking at Professor McGonagall, everything she said going over his head.

"Misters Potter and Black, would you like to show the class how to perform a Draconifors spell since you both do not need to pay any attention in my class, apparently?" asked Professor McGonagall, with stern glance at the boys.

James and Sirius, who were both lounging on their chairs by balancing it on its hind legs, shrugged in reply. James went first, slashing his wand across the goblet in front of him as he said, "_Draconiforis_," with Sirius followed his lead, mimicking the action as he too uttered the incantation.

The goblets melted and twisted into two smalls dragons, which were being controlled by the two boys with their wands. James' dragon was scarlet red, with a green streak from its head to its tail, while Sirius' was all black.

Professor McGonagall, though she tried hard not to, was immensely impressed, like every other individual in the room, except for Remus and Peter, who had already seen James and Sirius transfigure those very same dragons before. Remus sighed, and Peter looked excited. They both knew what was coming.

"Five points each to Gryffindor. Though I would appreciate it if you wouldn't disturb the rest of the class. Another word out of you both, and you will be meeting the Headmaster."

No sooner had Professor McGonagall uttered those words, James and Sirius' dragons turned to each other, snorting bits of fire.

"The usual bet?" asked James with a smirk, as he made his dragon fly, doing a little loop for the gasping crowd, eventually settling it to hover just above his head.

"10 Galleons it is," grinned Sirius in reply. Before anyone understood what the interaction was about, Sirius' dragon spat a harmless stream of fire, as it dashed towards James'. There was a blur of red and black, with random spurts of fire, as the two boys made their dragons fight each other. At first, Professor McGonagall was shell shocked, but she was quickly brought back to her senses when a stream of fire from Sirius' dragon singed her hair, causing a little smoke to spiral upwards from the tight bun on her head.

"Enough," shouted Professor McGonagall, as she vanished the two dragons. "A weeks worth of detention to you both."

"But we were just –" started James.

"Never, in my years of teaching have I seen two people so inclined for mischief and marauding," seethed Professor McGonagall. "No, let me correct myself. Never have I seen four people inclined for such mischief and marauding. Whether it be cursing Mr. Aubrey's head to grow to twice its size because he seemed uptight, or starting fights in corridors because you did not like the way someone walked. I have had enough of you four. You will go meet the Headmaster after class, and any more disruptions will result in a years worth of detentions. Am I understood?"

Even Sirius had the sense to not antagonise her any further, as the four boys nodded their assent, and kept mum until class ended.

As the bell rang, Remus sighed as he heard Peter complain, "But Remus and I didn't even do anything. This is so unfair."

"We didn't stop them, Peter, and anyway, McGonagall is right, we do take part in most of their stupidity," said Remus as he packed his back. The four boys started walking to the Professor Dumbledore's office, which they were well aware of.

"Well, at least something good came out of this class," said Sirius cheerfully, humming to himself.

"What? McGonagall almost breaking her wand?" asked James.

"No, you wanker. She just named us," replied Sirius with a grin.

"Excuse me, I was in that class too," said Remus., with a hint of shame in voice, proving again he was the only with a conscience, apparently. "When exactly did she 'name' us? Was it when she was reprimanding us, screaming at us, or when she asked us to go meet Dumbledore."

While Peter asked James what 'reprimand' meant under his breath, Sirius just carried on grinning, as if he had not heard Remus at all.

Just as the Gargoyle came into view, Sirius asked, "What do you think about the Marauders?"

* * *

"I'm not going to help in this stupidity. I'm only here to make sure you idiots don't kill yourself," said Remus for the umpteenth time as the James and Sirius started working on the potion, while Peter tried to finish fourth year transfiguration.

"Yes, yes. We know. Now shut up, I can't concentrate on this potion with you yapping away like an old witch who just lost her Witch Weekly issue," said Sirius as he began slicing the Dragon Thorax to the exact millimetre, as the recipe required.

"How many ingredients do we have, and how many more do we need?" asked James, as he took out the ingredients list to verify.

"Well, we have the Dragon Thorax, obviously," started Peter, as made his way to the giant cabinet behind them. They were in the Room of Requirement again, something which had become the convention of the year. Even though their third year was almost ending, they boys were still a long way from achieving their goal, something James and Sirius were stressing about. "We have Fairy Wings, Doxy Eggs, Salamander Blood, Lacewing Flies, Knotgrass and Jobberknoll Feathers. We need Shredded Bloomslang Skin, Fluxweed, Ptolemy, Sal Ammoniac and Syrup of Hellebore."

"Well, we can nick the Bloomslang Skin and Syrup from ol' Sluggy's private stash, thanks to the invisibility cloak," said Sirius as he added the Dragon Thorax to the cauldron, which made the potion within shine bright green. "He might have Ptolemy too. Think you can manage that Pete?"

Peter nodded, clearly pleased that Sirius trusted him to get the ingredients, as he caught the invisibility cloak thrown at him. He looked at James expectantly, which clearly asked 'what about the rest?'

James smiled reassuringly at Peter. "We'll pick the Fluxweed from the Forbidden Forest the next full moon. As for the Ammoniac, its the last ingredient to the potion anyway. We'll have a look around Diagon Alley in the summer."

Seemingly satisfied, Peter gave them a curt, "I'll be back soon," as he threw the cloak on, and made his way to get the ingredients.

"Are you sure he'll be alright?" asked Remus when the door seemed to open and close on its own accord.

James dismissed his concerns with a wave of his hand, "'Course he will. Now, how long is this potion going to take."

"Uh… well, the books say a correctly brewed potion should be a clear, odourless liquid at the end of one planetary cycle since the day it was started," said Sirius with a shrug.

"So… a bloody year?" asked James astonished.

"Pretty much, yeah. Until then, lets get back to Transfiguration shall we?"

"Might as well."

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask, what did Evans think of your offer this time?"

"She slapped me."

"So she didn't like the fact that we covered the Great Hall in a banner of both you snogging, with the words 'go out with me?' underneath?"

"Not in the least. Surprisingly, neither did McGonagall."

* * *

James, Sirius and Peter were sitting in James' room, practicing their transfiguration. James and Sirius had finished most of the sixth year, while Peter had just about completed the fifth. Remus was supposed to join them, as they were supposed to go to Diagon Alley today.

"So, we're going to buy the Sal Ammoniac today?" whispered Peter excitedly. They had got all the other ingredients for their potion, which was now stored in the Room of Requirement, waiting for them to return in a month, at which time they needed to stir it counter clockwise exactly two and a half times.

"Try not to wet yourself, Pete," said Sirius lazily as he lounged on James' armchair, waiting impatiently for Remus. James was polishing his broomstick on his bed as he waited, surprisingly content.

The door swung open as Dorea walked in with Remus, smiling at the boys. "Well, here's the fourth Marauder. You'll be off to Diagon Alley then?"

"Sirius," whined James, "You told my mum about that stupid nickname of yours."

"It's not stupid," huffed Sirius as he bolted up from and chair, stretching his limbs a bit. "We'll be off now. Don't wait up, Dorea." Sirius was staying with James this summer as well, something his mother had not been pleased about. Not that she could do anything about it, of course.

"Sirius Orion Black," said Dorea, a clear warning in her tone. "You will be back here before nightfall, or I swear to God, I will vanish you." Sirius had grown to become like her second son, and as such she found no difference between him and James.

"You can't vanish us. It's against Mardock's rules," replied Sirius cheekily, as he tried to manoeuvre around Dorea, who was blocking the door.

"How do you know about Mardock's rules? They're taught in fifth year," asked Dorea, raising her eyebrows at Sirius. When he didn't answer and tried to run, she conjured an invisible wall in front of Sirius, which he inevitably ran into.

"We were just doing some extra reading, mom. Have to keep our grades up, and all that. Right guys?" lied James smoothly, looking at Remus and Peter to back him up.

"Yes, Mrs. Potter," said Remus politely, as Peter nodded his head with great vigour.

Dorea was still skeptical, but she decided not to push too hard. It was probably for a prank anyway, she thought.

"Remember Jamsie, be back as soon as you can."

"Don't worry mum. We'll be back before you know it," he replied.

"Siri, that goes for you too."

"Yes, Ma'am. We'll try not to kill ourselves."

"You boys better not do anything stupid."

"Do we ever?"

* * *

"Everyone got all their school stuff?" asked James as they made their way outside Madam Malkin's. Remus' robes looked more like a skirt, while Peter' could barely do the buttons on his. Sirius bought new ones because he didn't want to come back again next year, while James just bought one because everyone else was. Dorea had also instructed James to buy a pair of dress robes, presumably for Ministry functions.

"Did you have to buy dress robes that resembled McGonagall's?" whined Sirius again, displeased about the fact that James had bought a bottle green dress robe.

"It looks good, you wanker," said James, thankful that Sirius assumed it was McGonagall who had influenced James, and not the mesmerising eyes of a certain redhead.

"We still have to buy the Sal Ammoniac," piped Peter, as he followed along, occasionally glancing at shops.

"Louder Pete, I don't think the hag in Knockturn Alley heard you," said Sirius sarcastically, as James chuckled.

"Shut it, you both," said Remus, with a sigh. "Can we just get the Ammoniac and go already? The full moon is a week away and I'm tired. Just my luck it falls on the day we return to Hogwarts."

"At least you'll start off the school year with a bang," joked James.

Remus looked at him with a curious look on his face, which James found amusing. "No? Too soon?"

The four boys burst into laughter, rendering them incoherent, even to each other. Merlin only knows how women can understand each other when they start giggling and shrieking.

As they saw the entrance to Knockturn Alley, Peter emitted an involuntary squeak. "So, we really have to go to a hag in there?" he asked, pointing to the entrance as if it would somehow hurt him.

"Did you think Sirius was joking when he told you to talk louder so that the hag could hear us?" asked James innocently, having too much fun at Peter's expense.

"Maybe."

"Well, if she wants a mate or something, Pete, we already told her that you wouldn't mind –"

"Stop scaring him, James," chided Remus, as Peter looked as if he was about to wet himself. "Sal Ammoniac is a rare ingredient, and people would ask too many questions if we bought it in Diagon Alley. We're just going to Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary in Knockturn Alley"

Sirius smiled at James, as if to say he approved of the torment on Peter. "Yeah, the manager knows not to ask any questions. My parents used to take me and Reg along with them when we were kids."

Sirius' face dropped a bit when he thought about his brother, Regulas. They had been close at one point, before Sirius left for Hogwarts. Now, they barely spoke to each other. Walburga had brainwashed Regulas into hating his brother, or so Sirius thought.

"There it is," said James unnecessarily, no one could miss the huge sign, hoping to distract Sirius from thinking about his family, which was a sore subject.

It seemed to work, as Sirius' face instantly took up it's customary casual charm, as he opened the door, and walked in, with the others right behind.

"Good evening, Mr. Grover," said Sirius in his aristocratic voice, the one his parents had forced him to use in parties and social gatherings. "How are you?"

Dorwick Grover was the manager of the apothecary in Knockturn Alley, since Mr. Mulpepper preferred to stay in Diagon Alley, for obvious reason. Rumour was that he used to be an Auror, who was dismissed when he was implicated in smuggling dark objects, or at least that was what Sirius' parents had told him.

Grover was a tall, well built man, who had a scar running from his forehead to the nape of his neck, which was all the more visible due to the fact that he was bald. He had an unruly black beard, with patches of white in it. Overall, he had a disconcerting presence. Peter was in half a mind to run out of the store and never look back when James caught the back of his shirt, and encouraged him along.

"Eh, Black wasn't it? Haven't seen yer parents in here in a long time" growled Grover. It didn't seem as if the man was capable of talking politely. James wondered underneath his breath whether Grover always had a broom stuck in his arse, to which Remus elbowed him in the gut, begging him silently to keep his comments to himself.

If Grover had heard James, he gave no indication of it.

"What do you want, boy?"

Sirius cleared his throat, before he started, "Well, we were looking to buy some Sal Ammoniac."

"Sal Ammoniac eh? Might have some of that out back in the store. What could you four boys need it for?" barked Grover, as he made his way behind.

"Well, seeing as we're not planning on stealing it, I don't think we're obligated to share our reason," said James, firmly. "Sir," he added, stressing on the last word to emphasis that he had no respect for the man. James came from a family of Aurors, and as respected the profession, holding it in high regard. The fact that Grover used to be a dirty Auror did not sit right with James.

Sirius just sighed in reluctance as he closed his eyes, hoping that James hadn't offended Grover terribly. Remus' look of utter disbelief was only matched by Peter's stunned face.

James, however, was immune to the tension he seemed to have created in the room. He stared straight at Grover, who was just emerging from the store.

"I suppose yer right, kid," said Grover as he came back out, carrying the Sal Ammoniac. "What's yer name, boy?"

"What's it to you?" James shot back without missing a step. Remus clapped his hand to his head, as he interrupted on James' behalf, "This is James Potter."

"Potter, Potter… Aye, knew your parents back in the department. Snooty people, they were." grumbled Grover as he rang up the item. "Always thought they were better than the rest of us."

James was about to argue when Sirius shot him a look as he whispered, "Calm down mate, or you'll blow this whole thing. Remember why we're doing it, yeah?"

James nodded, but the posture made his displeasure clear, as he crossed his hands over his chest and clenched his jaw. James moved behind, and stood in silence with Peter.

"That'll be a hundred galleons boy," smiled Grover wickedly, his uneven and black teeth on display.

"A hundred?" asked Sirius in disbelief, as James opened his mouth to protest, but a look from Remus silenced him. "It's only thirty in Diagon Alley."

"Well, maybe you boys should make yer way there then. In Knockturn Alley, it's a hundred," said Grover, as he started to walk back to the store, presumably to keep the Sal Ammoniac away.

"Wait, here's the money," said James, startling everyone, as he placed a pouch of money on the table. Grover smiled menacingly, as he turned and returned to the counter, only to begin counting it with a wave of his wand.

When Grover seemed satisfied, James snatched the Ammoniac from him, muttering a rather rude, "thank you," behind him as he left the store, his friends following in his wake.

"Were the bloody hell did you get that much money from James?" asked Remus in disbelief as they made their way to the exit of Knockturn Alley swiftly, passing by some hags, who scared the daylights out of Peter.

"Yeah, I thought we barely had thirty between us," added Sirius.

"Well, I started saving up money when we decided to help Remus out," said James with a shrug as they entered Diagon Alley once again, and he took a deep breath, relieved to be out of the dark and gloomy alley.

"We'll pay you back, James," started Remus, but James just waved him away, as if it were no big deal.

"Don't worry about it. Just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Don't fuck up the bloody potion now."


End file.
